Conduit coupling adapter

ABSTRACT

A conduit coupling adapter for securing attaching a conduit to an enclosure. The conduit coupling adapter generally includes a first end for receiving a conduit and attaching to it via an adhesive, and a second end coupled to the second end comprises threads and is configured for attaching to an enclosure using a locknut.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable to this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND Field

The present invention relates generally to parts and methods forsecurely coupling conduits to wiring enclosures, such as handholes andjunction boxes.

Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. Currentpractices do not secure wiring conduits to junction boxes in the mannerdisclosed herein.

When attaching wiring conduits to junction boxes such as handholes, ithas been a common practice to insert the conduits into the handhole withenough excess conduit that it would be unlikely for the conduit to beunintentionally extracted from the handhole by conditions such as rain,snow, ground shifting or other environmental conditions. Even thoughcomplete extraction of a conduit may be preventable in this manner, thistechnique will not prevent the conduit from shifting within a handholebecause the conduit is not securely attached. For example, the conduitmay shift while cables are being pulled through the conduit or duringother installation tasks. Moreover, the excess conduit within thejunction box restricts the ability to route cables and to accommodateadditional conduits or cables. The result is that a larger junction boxor additional junction boxes may need to be utilized to accommodate thisextra conduit.

SUMMARY

The present invention generally comprises a conduit coupling adapterconfigured for attachment to a conduit and an enclosure in a securemanner that minimizes waste.

Thus, some of the embodiments of the conduit coupling adapter have beenoutlined rather broadly in order that the detailed description thereofmay be better understood, and for the purpose that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additionalembodiments of a conduit coupling adapter that will be describedhereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appendedhereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment ofthe conduit coupling adapter in detail, it is to be understood that theconduit coupling adapter is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theconduit coupling adapter is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understoodthat the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purposeof the description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription given herein below and the accompanying drawings, whereinlike elements are represented by like reference characters, which aregiven by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of theexample embodiments herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conduit coupling adapter in accordancewith an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top-down view of a conduit coupling adapter in accordancewith an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of a conduit coupling adapter in accordancewith an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conduit coupling adapter in accordancewith an alternate example embodiment.

FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a handhole that is prepared to receivea plurality of conduit coupling adapters in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 5b is a perspective view of an example handhole that is coupled toa plurality of conduit coupling adapters in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 5c is a perspective view of a handhole that is coupled to aplurality of conduits using a plurality of conduit coupling adapters inaccordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an interior perspective view of a handhole that is coupled toa plurality of conduits using a plurality of conduit coupling adaptersin accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 7a is a top-down view of a handhole that is coupled to a pluralityof conduits using a plurality of conduit coupling adapters in accordancewith an example embodiment, including a partially secured conduitcoupling adapter.

FIG. 7b is a top-down view of a handhole that is coupled to a pluralityof conduits using a plurality of conduit coupling adapters in accordancewith an example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a top-down lateral cross-section of a conduit coupled to ahandhole using a conduit coupling adapter.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conduit coupled to a conduit couplingadapter in accordance with an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An example conduit coupling adapter for coupling a conduit to anenclosure comprises a first end configured to receive a conduit andattached to the conduit using an adhesive and a second end configuredfor deposition within the opening of an enclosure wherein the second endcomprises threads capable of receiving a locking nut and one or morewashers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conduit coupling adapter 10 suitable for coupling aconduit to an enclosure, such as a handhole. Conduit coupling adapter 10comprises a first end 110 and a second end 120. First end 110 comprisesan opening 115 that is adapted for receipt and attachment of a conduitusing an adhesive. Opening 115 may also contain a bonding surface 116that is especially adapted for attachment of the conduit couplingadapter 10 to a conduit using an adhesive. For example, bonding surface116 may include one or more bumps or ridges designed to create a betteradhesive bond between conduit coupling adapter 10 and a conduit. Inother embodiments, bonding surface 116 comprises a material other thanthat of the coupling adapter 10 or first end 110. In other embodiments,bonding surface 116 is simply the rough interior surface of opening 115.

The second end 120 of conduit coupling adapter 10 is adapted forinsertion within an opening in an enclosure, such as a handhole. Theembodiment of second end 120, shown in FIG. 1, comprises threads 130 andis disposed within a washer 140. First end 110 and second end 120 meetat transition 111, which represents the transition from the exteriorsurface of first end 110 to the exterior surface of second end 120.Transition 111 could be an abrupt change or could be a gradualtransition from one surface to the other. FIG. 1 illustrates an abrupttransition 111 from the wider diameter of first end 110 to the narrowerdiameter of second end 120. In other embodiments, transition 111 couldtransition from a narrower diameter of first end 120 to a wider diameterof second end 120. For embodiments in which first end 110 has the sameshape and diameter as second end 120, transition 111 could be optionallyabsent. Transition 111 only reflects an exterior transition, if any, andmay not correspond to an interior transition from first end 110 tosecond end 120.

FIG. 2 is a top-down view of the conduit coupling adapter 10 shown inFIG. 1. From this perspective, transition 111 is clearly shown having anabrupt transition from first end 110 to second end 120. Threads 130 aremore clearly defined in this perspective. In some embodiments, threads130 are created using a die to form threads in the outer surface ofsecond end 120. In other embodiments, threads 130 are part of a separatecomponent that is affixed to second end 120.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the conduit coupling adapter 10 shownin FIG. 1. From this perspective, second end 120 is shown with anarrower internal diameter than first end 110. The internal transitionfrom first end 110 to second end 120 is transition 112. Much liketransition 111, transition 112 could have a different configuration thanthe one shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is an alternate embodiment of a conduit coupling adapter 10. InFIG. 4, first end 110 and second end 120 have approximately the samediameter, and are separated by a transition 111 that is shaped like aflange. In this regard, transition 111 includes a wider diameter thanthat of both first end 110 and second end 120. FIG. 4 furtherillustrates a conduit adapter 10 with a washer 140 and locknut 150. Inthis embodiment, washer 140 is slipped over second end 120 and locknut150 is rotated on to threads 130 of second end 120. Just as in FIG. 1,FIG. 4 illustrates an opening 115 and a bounding surface 116.

FIGS. 5a-c illustrates the installation of conduit coupling adapter 10to a handhole 300. FIG. 5a shows a handhole 300 including a plurality ofopenings 310. Openings 310 can be created using a drill. Alternatively,if the enclosure includes predefined knockouts, one or more of thesecould be knocked out to create openings 310. Other methods of creatingan opening in an enclosure such as handhole 300 include the use of atorch or a saw depending on the environment and the composition ofhandhole 300. As shown in FIG. 5a , openings 310 do not need to be ofuniform size within an embodiment. In particular, the third opening 310from the left is larger than the other five openings. Similarly, conduitcoupling adapters 10 may have different sizes. For example, the thirdconduit coupling adapter 10 from the left is larger than the otherconduit coupling adapters 10. Although FIG. 5a shows conduit couplingadapters 10 that have the same general shape, conduit coupling adapters10 could differ in other ways, such as length or internal diameter, evenfor similarly-sized openings.

FIG. 5b illustrates the conduit coupling adapters 10 of FIG. 5a withtheir respective second ends 120 disposed within openings 310. FIG. 5bshows the threads 130 inserted within opening 310 such that theircorresponding threads 130 are not visible from the exterior of handhole300. FIG. 5c illustrates the conduit coupling adapters of FIG. 5bcoupled to a plurality of conduits. In this embodiment, end portions ofconduits 200 are disposed within the respective first ends 110 ofconduit coupling adapters 10.

FIG. 6 is an alternate perspective view of FIG. 5b that shows thecoupling of conduits 200 to enclosure 300 from within enclosure 300.This figure shows a plurality of conduits 120 coupled to handhole 300using a plurality of conduit coupling adapters 10. The conduit couplingadapters 10 are attached to the enclosure 300 each using a washer 140and a locknut 150. Washer 140 has been slipped over the end of secondend 120, and locknut 150 has been securely rotated onto second end 120using threads 130. In this embodiment locknut 150 has been sufficientlytightened to create a water-tight seal with opening 310. Moreover, inthis embodiment, locknut 150 prevents conduit coupling adapter 10 frombeing removed from opening 310. Although this embodiment illustrates thecreation of a water-tight seal, it is not necessary to create a seal inorder to use the conduit coupling adapter disclosed herein.

FIG. 7a is a top-down illustration of FIG. 6 with one example of washer140 and locknut 150 detached from a conduit coupling adapter 10. Aconduit coupling can be created by slipping washer 140 over the end ofsecond end 120, and then securely attaching locknut 150 to second end120 using threads 130. FIG. 7a shows conduits 200 inserted intorespective openings 115 in first ends 110 of conduit coupling adapters10. Conduits 200 can be secured to first ends 110 using an adhesive, forexample. FIG. 7b is a further illustration showing washer 140 andlocknut 150 securely attaching conduit coupling adapter 10 to enclosure300 and thereby securely attaching conduit 200 to enclosure 300.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-section of conduit 200 coupled toenclosure 300 using a conduit coupling adapter 10. In FIG. 8, an endportion of conduit 200 has been inserted into opening 115 such that itabuts the internal transition 112 between first end 110 and second end120. FIG. 8 also includes a cable 400 disposed within conduit 200,conduit coupling adapter 10, and enclosure opening 310 such that cable400 passes into enclosure 300 and can be used for any desired wiringtasks. In this embodiment, locknut 150 has been tightened along threads130 such that washer 140 is pressed firmly against the interior ofhandhole 300 to create a seal between the exterior of handhole 300 andthe interior of handhole 300. Although conduit 200 is shown with alarger internal diameter than second end 120, other embodiments utilizea first end with the same or larger internal diameter than second end120. Moreover, in some embodiments transition 112 is a structuredistinct from first end 110 and second end 120 such as a ring or flange.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conduit 200 coupled to a conduitadapter 10 using an adhesive 190. In FIG. 9, an end portion of conduit200 has been inserted into opening 115 with a sufficient amount tosecurely attach it to the conduit coupling adapter 10 using adhesive190. The secure attachment shown in FIG. 9 does not require the endportion of conduit 200 to abut the internal transition 112 between firstend 110 and second end 120 as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 illustrates awasher 140 slipped over second end 120 and locknut 150 rotated on tothreads 130.

In some embodiments, the disclosed conduit coupling adapter 10 iscomprised entirely of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In other embodiments,the enclosure 300 is a Polymer handhole, and the conduit 200 and conduitcoupling adapter 10 are both comprised of schedule 80 PVC. In someembodiments washer 140 is a steel flat washer and locknut 150 is a steellocknut. Cable 400 could be any type of cable, including, but notlimited to, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, and twisted pair cable.

A conduit coupling adapter 10 of the type described herein can bemanufactured by combining a PVC conduit coupler to a 3-inch length ofschedule 80 PVC. In this embodiment, the PVC conduit coupler portionwould represent first end 110 and the schedule 80 PVC portion wouldrepresent second end 120. Ends 110 and 120 can be coupled to each otherusing adhesives, clamps or other forms of mechanical attachment, such asscrews or bolts. Threads 130 can be added to the exterior of second end120 using an appropriately sized die. Locknut 150 is selected to suchthat is opening matches threads 130 on second end 120. Washer 140 isselected such that it can slip over second end 120 and threads 130.However, washer 140 is not limited to an opening that closelycorresponds to the shape of second end 120 or to a disc shape. Forexample, if second end 120 and enclosure opening 310 are notcomplementary in shape or size, washer 140 may be selected to create aseal despite this disparity, assuming a seal is desired. This couldoccur when opening 310 is created using a pre-defined knockout asopposed to an arbitrary size created using a drill. In thiscircumstance, second 120 could be substantially smaller than opening310.

The conduit coupling adapter 10 described herein can be installed withinan enclosure 300, such as a handhole using the following method.However, the following method is one of many ways that the describedconduit coupling adapter could be employed by a person having ordinaryskill in the art.

One step for coupling a conduit 200 to the described handhole includesthe creation of an enclosure opening 310 within the handhole 300. Suchan opening can be created by using a drill with a desired diameter.Alternatively, if the enclosure includes predefined knockouts, one ormore of these can be knocked out to create an opening. Other methods ofcreating an opening in an enclosure may include the use of a torch or asaw.

A conduit 200 can be attached to the conduit coupling adapter 10 byapplying an adhesive to an end portion of conduit 200 before insertingthis end portion into opening 115 in the first end 110 of conduitcoupling adapter 10. An adhesive could also be applied to opening 115before insertion of the end portion of conduit 120 therein. Optionally,additional adhesive can be added to the exposed portion of conduit 200nearest the outer edge of the first end 110 of the conduit couplingadapter 10.

In some embodiments, once the conduit coupling adapter 10 has beenattached to the conduit 200, at least a portion of second end 120 isinserted into an enclosure opening 310 in a handhole 300. Once this hasoccurred, a steel washer 140 is placed around second end 120, followedby a steel locknut 150. The steel locknut 150 is tightened until aproper seal is created between the conduit coupling adapter 10 andenclosure 300. In some embodiments, washer 140 is integrated intolocknut 150 to create a single component.

In some embodiments, conduit coupling adapter 10 is coupled to conduit200 before being coupled to enclosure 300. In other embodiments, conduitcoupling adapter 10 is coupled to enclosure 300 before being coupled toconduit 200. In still other embodiments, conduit coupling adapter 10 ispartially coupled to either the conduit or enclosure before beingsecurely coupled. For example, conduit coupling adapter 10 can beslipped on to the end of conduit 200 and held in place via compression.Conduit coupling adapter 10 could then be inserted into opening 310 ofthe enclosure and securely tightened using washer 140 and locknut 150.This could be followed by the application of adhesive to the exposed endportion of conduit 200 and the outer edge of the first end 110 ofconduit coupling adapter 10. Optionally, conduit could be separated fromfirst end 110, and then adhesive could added within opening 115 of firstend 110 before reinserting the end portion of conduit 200.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the conduit coupling adapter, suitable methodsand materials are described above. All publications, patentapplications, patents, and other references mentioned herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed byapplicable law and regulations. The conduit coupling adapter may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit oressential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that thepresent embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are forconvenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.

What is claimed is:
 1. A conduit coupling comprising: an enclosurehaving an enclosure opening with the enclosure opening having twoopposing sides; a conduit having a circular cross-sectional area and anend portion; a conduit coupling adapter comprising a first end and asecond end coupled to the first end, wherein the conduit couplingadapter comprises a flange positioned between the first end and thesecond end; wherein the first end of the conduit coupling adapterincludes a first opening; wherein the first end of the conduit couplingadapter is comprised of a circular cross sectional area; wherein the endportion of the conduit is disposed within the first opening of the firstend of the conduit coupling adapter; wherein the conduit is bonded tothe first end of the conduit coupling adapter with an adhesive disposedabout the first opening of the first end of the conduit couplingadapter; wherein the first opening of the first end of the conduitcoupling adapter comprises a bonding surface adapted for bonding theconduit to the first opening of the first end of the conduit couplingadapter using the adhesive; wherein the second end of the conduitcoupling adapter includes a circular cross-sectional area; wherein thesecond end of the conduit coupling adapter includes external threadingon at least a portion of its circular cross-sectional area; wherein thesecond end of the conduit coupling adapter is disposed within theenclosure opening of the enclosure such that the flange rests against anexterior of the enclosure; a washer positioned about the second end ofthe conduit coupling adapter; a locknut threadably attached to thesecond end of the conduit coupling adapter; a cable disposed within theconduit, the conduit coupling adapter, and the enclosure opening of theenclosure; and wherein the attachment of the locknut to the second endof the conduit coupling adapter prevents the washer from beingrepositioned.
 2. The conduit coupling of claim 1, wherein the washer ispositioned between the enclosure opening of the enclosure and thelocknut in a manner that creates a water-tight seal between each side ofthe enclosure opening of the enclosure.
 3. The conduit coupling of claim1, wherein the conduit coupling adapter is comprised of polyvinylchloride.
 4. The conduit coupling of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is ahandhole.
 5. The conduit coupling of claim 1, wherein the cablecomprises a fiber optic cable.
 6. The conduit coupling of claim 1,wherein the enclosure comprises a junction box.
 7. The conduit couplingof claim 1, wherein the conduit comprises a wiring conduit.
 8. Theconduit coupling of claim 1, wherein the bonding surface comprises oneor more ridges for improving an adhesive bond between the conduitcoupling adapter and the coupler.
 9. The conduit coupling of claim 1,wherein the bonding surface comprises one or more bumps for improving anadhesive bond between the conduit coupling adapter and the coupler. 10.A conduit coupling comprising: a junction box having an opening with theopening having two opposing sides; a cable extending through the openingof the junction box; a wiring conduit having a circular cross-sectionalarea and an end portion, the wiring conduit being adapted to receive thecable; and a conduit coupling adapter comprising a first end and asecond end coupled to the first end, wherein the conduit couplingadapter comprises a flange positioned between the first end and thesecond end; wherein the first end of the conduit coupling adapterincludes a first opening; wherein the first end of the conduit couplingadapter is comprised of a circular cross sectional area; wherein the endportion of the wiring conduit is disposed within the first opening ofthe first end of the conduit coupling adapter; wherein the wiringconduit is bonded to the first end of the conduit coupling adapter withan adhesive disposed about the first opening of the first end of theconduit coupling adapter; wherein the first opening of the first end ofthe conduit coupling adapter comprises a bonding surface adapted forbonding the conduit to the first opening of the first end of the conduitcoupling adapter using the adhesive, wherein the bonding surface iscomprised of one or more bumps for improving an adhesive bond betweenthe conduit coupling adapter and the coupler; wherein the second end ofthe conduit coupling adapter includes a circular cross-sectional area;wherein the second end of the conduit coupling adapter includes externalthreading on at least a portion of its circular cross-sectional area;wherein the second end of the conduit coupling adapter is disposedwithin the opening of the junction box such that the flange restsagainst an exterior of the junction box; a locknut threadably attachedto the second end of the conduit coupling adapter; wherein the cableextends through the wiring conduit and the conduit coupling adapter. 11.The conduit coupling of claim 10, wherein the cable is selected from thegroup consisting of a coaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, and a twistedpair cable.
 12. A conduit coupling system, comprising: an enclosureincluding an enclosure opening, wherein the enclosure opening leads froman exterior of the enclosure to an interior of the enclosure; a conduitcoupling adapter comprising a first portion including a first openingand a second portion including a second opening, wherein the firstopening is at a first end of the conduit coupling adapter and whereinthe second opening is at a second end of the conduit coupling adapter,wherein the first portion of the conduit coupling adapter is wider thanthe second portion of the conduit coupling adapter; a flange definedbetween the first portion and the second portion of the conduit couplingadapter, wherein the second end of the conduit coupling adapter isdisposed within the enclosure opening of the enclosure such that theflange of the conduit coupling adapter rests against the exterior of theenclosure, wherein the second end of the conduit coupling adaptercomprises a threaded portion; a locknut removably connected to thethreaded portion of the second end of the conduit coupling adapter suchthat the conduit coupling adapter is connected to the enclosure, whereinthe locknut is positioned within the interior of the enclosure; and aconduit including an end portion, wherein the end portion of the conduitis disposed within the first opening of the first end of the conduitcoupling adapter, wherein the end portion of the conduit is connected tothe first end of the conduit coupling adapter by an adhesive, whereinthe first opening of the first end of the conduit coupling adaptercomprises a bonding surface adapted for bonding the conduit to the firstopening of the first end of the conduit coupling adapter using theadhesive.
 13. The conduit coupling system of claim 12, comprising awasher positioned about the second end of the conduit coupling adapter.14. The conduit coupling system of claim 12, wherein the conduitcoupling adapter comprises a circular cross-section.
 15. The conduitcoupling system of claim 12, wherein the first portion of the conduitcoupling adapter is longer than the second portion of the conduitcoupling adapter.
 16. The conduit coupling system of claim 12, whereinthe adhesive is disposed about the first opening of the first end of theconduit coupling adapter.
 17. The conduit coupling system of claim 12,comprising a cable extending from the exterior of the enclosure into theinterior of the enclosure, wherein the cable extends through the conduitand the conduit coupling adapter.
 18. The conduit coupling system ofclaim 17, wherein the cable is comprised of an electrical cable.
 19. Theconduit coupling system of claim 18, wherein the cable is comprised of afiber optic cable.
 20. The conduit coupling system of claim 12, whereinthe bonding surface comprises one or more ridges for improving anadhesive bond between the conduit coupling adapter and the coupler.